Cultural Life
Cultural Life
The last few years have seen much progress in minority self-organization and the development of self-awareness. The numerous minority civil organizations, associations, clubs, and ensembles are proof of the high degree to which the right of association and assembly is asserted.
Cultural educational institutions in communities that also have a minority population are obliged to ensure that the cultural demands of these minorities are met. Besides this, the independent minority public education institutional system has strengthened greatly over the last decade. The national or regional network of minority museums and libraries, the three nationality theatres (German, Croatian, and Serb), the numerous cultural associations, community houses, clubs, and art societies all help preserve the cultural traditions of the minorities. Cultural-educational institutions have been established specifically for the minorities, e.g., the Bulgarian Cultural Institute and Library, Romany and German community houses, the National Romany Information and Cultural Center, the Ukrainian Cultural Center, the Armenian Cultural Center and the House of the Slovak Culture.
From the early 1990s minorities began to establish minority research institutes to study their own traditions, history, and their present-day situation. The organizational framework of these research institutes is very varied: some operate on the basis of civil initiatives, while others have contacts with a national self-government or some universities.
The Hungarian state supports minority access to the means of mass communication. Hungarian Radio began transmitting programs for 13 minorities in 1998, and the public service Hungarian Television currently prepares programs for 12 minorities. Preparations for the launch of a program for the Ukrainian minority are in progress. The native-language television programs for the minorities are complemented by fortnightly Hungarian-language magazine programs about the minorities, which also serve to inform the wider general public. The national self-governments of the national and ethnic minorities independently decide on the principles for the use of the available airtime at their disposal for public service broadcasting.
At least one nationwide newspaper per minority receives full government support for publication purposes. In 1998 this translated into financial support being provided to 17 nationwide newspapers for the 13 minorities. Besides minority national papers, other press bodies supply news about the minorities, through minority supplements carried by the national press and native language supplements in local newspapers, for example. In the early 1990s several minority research journals were launched, and research projects and high-level conferences held by university, higher educational, and museum research groups, the Hungarian Academy of Sciences Minority Research Workshop, and the László Teleki Foundation’s Central European Institute also drew attention to the question of the minorities. Several publications such as the Handbook of Minority Self-governments, published by the Parliamentary Commissioner for the Rights of National and Ethnic Minorities, or the book entitled Minorities in Hungary 1999 and published under the auspices of the Office for National and Ethnic Minorities, provide general information for the national and ethnic minorities.
